We’ve been incorporating liturgy in our services these last few months. Only a few of us grew up in churches that used liturgy, so this is something new for us. Reading David Fitch’s book, The Great Giveaway, kind of pushed us over the edge to explore liturgy. We’ve been thinking about it for years, feeling a lack that spontaneous worship didn’t seem to fill. I was concerned that liturgy might stifle or turn into “legalism”. We don’t want a head religion detached from a sincere connection with God.

Listening to an interview from Vineyard with N.T. Wright on worship, helped to confirm to me that this was the right direction for us. Wright is a bishop in the Anglican church, which is a tradition that uses liturgy. He commented that spontaneity can be as limiting as a formal program and that liturgy allows us to learn how to pray and worship from great Christian saints from history. So, we’ve been slowly incorporating it into our services and meetings. It really has enriched us and is fun exploring a vast tradition that we’ve been missing out on. We still allow for the spontaneity and free flow of the Spirit, but now we also are being regularly mentored by God’s people from the ages.